The next day—or what passed for a day—Enel woke suddenly.
He had not yet opened his eyes. His body was still in sleeping position, lying on the cold metal bed, when he felt something. Not a sound. Not a movement. A presence. Someone was in the room. Close. Very close.
He opened his eyes slowly.
There was a face before him. Only a few centimeters away. A pale face, white as snow. White hair, soft, covering parts of his forehead and eyes. Sharp eyes, barely visible beneath the strands of hair. A smile. A malicious smile, twisted, as if saying something it had not yet spoken.
Enel froze. Could not move. Could not speak. His body was paralyzed for a moment. Not from fear. From shock. How did this man enter? How did he not feel him? His Haki was nearly gone, but he could still sense those who approached him. But this man... it was as if he did not exist. Then he was there. Suddenly.
The man smiled. Laughed. A short, dry laugh, as if coming from an old well.
"You... you are the one from Earth," the man said. His voice was calm, but it carried something within it. Mockery? Curiosity? Perhaps both.
"Who caused an uproar in all the cities of the moon. How dare you come here?"
He paused. His smile did not disappear. His face remained close to Enel's. Centimeters between them. His sharp eyes examined Enel as if he were an insect under a microscope.
A long silence. Heavy. Suspicious.
Then the man left. He did not step back. Did not move away slowly. He simply turned and walked toward the door. His steps were light, barely audible. His hands were in his pockets the entire time. He did not take them out for a moment.
When he reached the door, he stopped. Did not turn. Said in a quiet voice, as if speaking to himself:
"You disappointed me. I thought you would be... different from what I saw."
Then he left. Closed the door quietly behind him.
Enel remained sitting on the bed. His heart beat fast. He breathed with difficulty. He did not show it on his face. His face was cold as usual. But inside, he was filled with questions.
Who was this? How did he enter? How did he disappear so easily? Why did he say he had heard of him? What was the "uproar" he spoke of? And how did he know he was from Earth?
Enel stood. Walked to the door. Opened it. Looked into the corridor. It was empty. No one. The man had disappeared as if he had never existed.
Enel went out. Walked through the corridors. Searched. Asked a worker standing nearby.
"Did you see a man... white hair... pale face... hands in his pockets?"
The worker looked at him in astonishment. "No. I saw no one."
Enel walked on. Asked another. Same answer. Asked a third. No one had seen him. It was as if the man was a ghost. Or as if he had never existed.
Enel stood in the middle of the corridor. Thinking. Analyzing. Trying to understand.
"Who is this?" he whispered to himself. "And what does he want?"
No one answered.
Elsewhere in the city, in an old-style building, there was a large house. Not like the rest of the moon's buildings. Not made of shiny white metal. It was wooden. Its floor was polished wood. Its walls were dark wood. The scents of incense and old wood filled the place.
This was a training hall. An ancient place, as if transported from old Japan to here. The ceiling was arched. The pillars were intricately carved. In the center of the house, there was a large empty space. Its floor was wooden, shiny from frequent use. About twenty meters away, there was a metal dummy. Not large. About the size of a human. It was bolted to the floor with thick screws.
In the middle of the space, a man stood. Tall. His long black hair reached his shoulders. He wore a simple black kimono, with no decorations. He was barefoot. His feet touched the cold wood.
He carried a sword. Not in its sheath. The sword was in his hand, raised high, ready for a single strike. He looked like a statue. Not moving. Not breathing. Even from close range, it was difficult to hear his breath. It was very quiet. As if he was not human. As if he was part of the place.
His eyes were closed.
He did not move. Did not open his eyes. Remained standing like this. Seconds. Minutes. No one knew how long.
Then... in a flash.
He disappeared.
No one saw the movement. No one felt it. He was there, then he was not. But the sword... the sound of the sword cutting through the air was heard. A light, sharp sound, as if whispering.
The man opened his eyes.
He stood behind the metal dummy. The sword in his hand. Not a single drop of sweat fell from his forehead. He showed no sign of fatigue. It was ordinary for him. As if what he did was just meditation, not effort. As if his body moved on its own, without expending any energy.
The metal dummy had been cut in two. The top half slid slowly, then fell to the wooden floor.
Thud.
The sound of iron hitting wood. Heavy. Deep.
He turned the sword in his hand. Placed it in its sheath with one quick motion. Click. The sound of the sheath closing was heard.
He breathed. This was the first time he heard himself breathe.
"Sanada-sama."
A girl's voice. Came from the door of the hall. She stood there, wearing a pink women's kimono. Her hair was long and black. She carried a small wooden tray, on it a cup of tea from which faint steam rose.
"I brought you tea."
She smiled. She was happy. Her eyes sparkled.
She entered the hall. Walked quietly. Placed the tray on the floor beside the wooden pillar. Then sat on her knees, beside the cup.
"Father."
The man looked at her. Sanada. That was his name. His face was cold. But his eyes were warmer when looking at his daughter.
"Father, I heard news," the girl said with excitement. "Someone came from Earth. From our ancestors' land. How did he know of our existence? What is he like? What does he look like?"
Sanada was silent. Looked at his daughter. Then looked at the cut metal dummy. He was thinking.
"Yes," he said finally. "I saw him. In the city."
"Really?!" The girl jumped from her seat in excitement. Her eyes widened. "What does he look like? Where exactly did you see him? Did you speak with him?"
Sanada paused. He was thinking about his answer. How to describe what he saw?
"No," he said. "I did not speak with him."
The excitement on the girl's face faded slightly. "Why?"
"I saw no need."
The girl sat again. She was waiting. She knew her father would speak when he was ready.
"He seems..." Sanada said slowly, "he seems like a fool. And he has no sense of responsibility."
The girl laughed. "Really?"
"Yes," said Sanada. But inside, he was thinking of something else. He did not say it to his daughter. He said it in silence.
But... although I sensed no danger from him. Although I sensed no threatening power. His eyes... his eyes tell that he has fought battles. Battles to the death. Countless.
Sanada thought about this. On the moon, laws were strict. They imposed peace. Prohibited fighting except in official competitions. The goal was to maintain order. To prevent cities from collapsing due to wars and anger. Most moon inhabitants never had the chance to fight real battles. Let alone battles to the death. Those were rare. Almost non-existent. But this man... this stranger from Earth... had something in his eyes. Something that could not be faked.
Is he playing the fool? Or is he hiding his true power? Or are the people of Earth all this weak?
Sanada remembered that he saw the man in the city. He walked slowly. His face was cold. He showed no fear. But he also showed no power. He seemed ordinary. Weak.
But he got here. Sanada thought. He reached the moon. Alone. On a small ship. After a journey lasting months. That is not something the weak do.
Then... why do I not feel his power? Why does he appear this way? Is there something I do not know?
"Father?"
His daughter's voice stopped his thinking.
"Is he strong?"
Sanada looked at her. He was thinking about the answer.
"I don't know," he said. "But... I will know."
He took the tea cup from the tray. Took a small sip. It was hot. It was good.
"I will know soon."
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My friends, this is my side story from the One Piece world. Share your thoughts about Chapter Eleven in the comments. Did you like the mysterious white-haired man? What do you think he wants from Enel? And what do you expect to happen when Enel finally discovers the truth about Sanada and his daughter?
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